A Brief Verse by Verse Inspection of Romans 9-11
9:1-5 — Who is Paul speaking of in this discourse? Mosaic Covenant Israelites (vs. 4), God’s first born son (Exodus 4:22), living in the first century. Paul is not writing about any other group of people living in any other time.
And who is Israel in the first century? We know there were Judaean Israelites (incorrectly translated as “Jews” in our English New Testaments). Judaeans adhered to the Covenant of Moses: circumcision, Torah, and temple worship. Most Judaeans lived in the Roman province of Judea, but there were some living abroad as well. We know that there was the “Dispersion,” also known as “Greeks” (Hellenists), see John 7:35. These Israelites likely consisted of uncircumcised, non-Torah observant peoples living among the Gentiles (see 1 Maccabees 1:11-15). And we know there were descendants of the “lost” ten tribes, also known as Ephraim (see Genesis 48:19; Jeremiah 31:19-20; Ezekiel 37:15-28).
So it is all these people Paul is speaking of when he says, “…my countrymen according to the flesh … to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the [Mosaic] law…” (vs. 4).
Paul laments that so many of Israel, primarily Judaeans, reject his gospel of Jesus Christ.
9:6-13 — Why has not all Israel believed in his gospel? Because, Paul determines, not all Israel is the true Israel. To be of the true Israel, one must be a child of promise, not flesh. Abraham’s wife Sarah was too old to have a child, but yet God promised she would, and she did. Isaac was a child of promise, not flesh.
And again, before Isaac’s two sons were born, God chose which one would carry the purpose of God. This shows that God had an elect group of Israelites to be the recipients of the promise.
9:14-29 — An elect group, before they’ve had any chance to do good or evil? Isn’t that unjust? According to Paul, no. God’s honor and good reputation must be upheld. Paul quotes Exodus 33:19 — God will have mercy and compassion on whom ever He wants.
Earlier in Exodus 33 Moses appealed to God’s honor to ensure that God’s presence would continue to go with Moses and the people: “For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us?” And again later Moses appealed to God’s honor to prevent God from destroying the people: “Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, ‘Because the Lord was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.'” (Numbers 14:15-16) Indeed, Paul points out, Pharaoh himself was used by God so that God could display His power, and so that His name would be declared in all the earth.
God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that He could display His power in bringing His chosen ones out of slavery, and so again, God calling out His “true Israel” from the “Israel of flesh” hardens those who resist Him in order to display His power and to have His name honored in all the earth. The “Israel of flesh” in the first century plays the same role as Pharaoh.
Again, one might ask, “How is this just? Who can escape God’s will?” And Paul’s response is, “Who are you little man to ask such a thing? God is the potter. If He wants to make vessels of wrath/dishonor (Israel of flesh) and vessels of mercy/honor (true Israel), who are you to question that? What if God is doing that to display His glory just as He did bringing Israel out of Egypt?”
God is doing a great and merciful thing in calling out the true Israel, the remnant, from among not only the Judaeans, but also from among the Israelites scattered among the nations (vs. 24 – Hosea’s prophesies were not about non-Israelites). It’s not as though God was obligated to save any Israelite, for they had all sinned against Him (Romans 3:9-20). Imagine if He had treated them like Sodom and Gomorrah instead.
What precisely is wrong with this Israel of flesh? They try to obtain righteousness by the works of the Mosaic law, rather than by faith. Israelites living among the Gentiles (Hellenists, Ephraimites) who were not even trying to follow the law obtained righteousness through faith. The Israel of flesh stumbles on the rock, but the true Israel stands on it.
10:1-13 — Paul’s desire is for those Israelites who stumbled on the rock, those who have tried to obtain righteousness through the Mosaic law, to be saved (delivered from wrath). But, they are ignorant of the righteousness of God and insist on earning their own through the law.
If a man can keep the law, then he will live, but Paul has already shown that no one can keep the law (Romans 1-7). If one cannot keep the law, he is a vessel of wrath. The law cannot bring Christ close, but with faith Christ is near, in heart and mouth. The true Israel (Judaean and Hellenist) confesses this and is saved (delivered) from the coming wrath.
10:14-21 — Isaiah 52 tells us that Israel was oppressed, first by the Egyptians, then by the Assyrians. But God (Yahweh) would redeem them. And how beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news of redemption to these oppressed Israelites. And likewise does the gospel of Jesus Christ go out to Israel through the apostles’ preaching.
Yet, not all Israel believes this gospel. Have they heard it? Yes. But although hearing it, they still reject it, “they” being the Israel of flesh trying to obtain righteousness through the law of Moses. And so God will provoke them to jealousy: to be passionately concerned for what rightfully belongs to them. Those who are not a nation, those who do not seek God, the Israelites who do not follow the law, the uncircumcised ones — they will find God through Paul’s gospel of Jesus Christ. All day long God stretches out His hands to law abiding Israel, but it is the prodigal son who is reconciled to the Father.
11:1-10 — So many of Israel have rejected Paul’s gospel of Jesus Christ. Does this mean God has rejected all of Israel? Of course not. Just as in the days of Elijah, God has preserved for Himself a remnant. And this remnant is elected by God’s grace, not by their own works.
11:11-24 — Again, the Israel of the flesh has stumbled, they have been blinded, and it is God who has done this. Why? Because it is through their stumbling that salvation has come to the Gentiles/Nations.
Who are these Gentiles referred to here? To be consistent with what’s written above, they would be the Hellenist/Ephraimite Dispersion, and that’s what I would lean toward. However, the argument could be made that these Gentiles also refer to non-Israelite nations. In a sense in doesn’t matter, since the purpose here is to provoke law observant Israelites (Israel of flesh) to jealousy. We know already that not all Israel is cast away (vs. 15) since there is a remnant (vs. 5) so the contrast here cannot be all Israel vs all non-Israel, but rather the contrast here is still “Israel of flesh” vs “true Israel,” and if “true Israel” at this point includes non-Israelite converts then so be it.
There is an olive tree, and the root of this tree is holy. The tree is covenant Israel (Jeremiah 11:14-17; Hosea 14:5-6). Gentile branches are grafted into this tree, but they do not make the tree holy, rather the reverse. Gentile (unnatural) branches were grafted in by faith, and this is good, but if God cut off the natural branches (law abiding Israel/Judaeans), then certainly Gentiles should fear God and not be proud lest they be cut off as well. And of course, the cut off natural branches can be grafted in again.
Notice what the Gentiles are being grafted into. They are not being grafted into a new multi-national religion called Christianity. Rather, they are being grafted into Israel. At this point in the discourse, Paul is still focused on Israel.
11:25-36 — When the fullness of the Gentiles/Dispersion/Prodigals has come in, all Israel will be saved (delivered from the wrath to come). Every single Israelite? No, that would not be consistent with what Paul has been saying. All saved Israel = the Israel of promise, the true Israel, the remnant. All saved Israel consists of Judaeans, Greeks, Ephraimites, Proselytes.
Concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Israel of flesh is an enemy for the sake of the Gentiles/Dispersion/Prodigals, but concerning election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. God intends to keep His promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob after all.
Through the disobedience of the Israel of flesh, God has shown mercy to the Gentiles/Dispersion/Prodigals, but mercy will be shown to the Israel of flesh as well.
How and when will this mercy be manifest? Has this been fulfilled already? Or is it yet still to be fulfilled?
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has become His counselor?”
“Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:33-36
*Note: All scripture references are from the NKJV bible.
Pursuit of Percipience 